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Sunday, March 11, 2012

The Wall of Indian Cricket Retreats! Joy of Hindi Cinema Vanishes!

Fondly called the ‘Wall’ or ‘Mr. Dependable’ Rahul Dravid retired from international and first class cricket on Friday, the 9th March, 2012. Early morning the same day ‘Joy’ Mukherjee of Hindi Cinema (not called Bollywood in his time) passed away at a Mumbai hospital. These two events are not linked, but may impact a large mutually inclusive community to which this writer belongs.

The news was doing the rounds almost the whole day on Thursday that Rahul Dravid had called a press conference at noon the next day. Almost all in media knew what it would be about and the preparations began in earnest.

Rahul Dravid, the consistently No.3 batsman in India’s test matches and in one-day internationals too to a large extent, announced his retirement at a press conference in Bangalore around noon. The end of an era.

For the last 16 years we had been watching him, witnessing him and adoring him in all of India’s cricket matches here or abroad. We always looked to him for guiding India—first to safety and then to victory. A batsman with a solid 55+ average in away matches, 80 century partnerships with Sachin Tendulkar that is a world record and in all 80 century partnerships with 18 different partners, the world record holder for most number of Test catches taken, only the second cricketer in total Test runs scored, a good fielder plus a wicket keeper in need and solidity that was never questioned.

And, the superb cricketer had only a brief aberration in the recent Australian tour. He was the star in the previous away series in England. But age was not on his side and since all senior players did miserably in the Aus tour the heated controversy of ‘seniors Vs juniors’ must have pained him. When the Indian cricket Board dropped him or picked for one-day cricket at will Dravid retired from that in 2011 in disgust. A true artist with the bat just cannot take on politics. We are going to miss him terribly. Whenever we had to go out on some work in between watching matches we used to be assured if Dravid was at the crease. We salute the Great Cricketer and wish him all well for the future.

Joy Mukherjee, one of the greatest classic romantic heroes of Hindi Cinema of the sixties, called it a day at the age of 73. His main attraction was his immense likeability. You just could not help but like him dancing or jumping around or just delivering dialogues. His disarming smile and a bright-jubilant countenance filled you with joy instantly without you knowing about it. His unorthodox acting antics, dress code and gait appealed enormously to the younger generation of the bygone era and even now. In this he can be realistically compared with the energetic Shammi Kapoor and the stylistic Dev Anand.

By the early seventies fitting roles for Joy Mukherjee dried up and he left acting focusing on film-making where he was not a huge success. Slowly, he faded from public gaze, but lived on energetically in his movies. If his movies like ‘Shagird’ or ‘Lovein Tokyo’ are screened or shown somewhere you are drawn in irresistibly compelling you to relish it one more time.

While grieving for his demise we get assured by the fact that he is immortalized in his movies. So, who can stop us from enjoying an evergreen super-hit song ‘Japan…love in Tokyo’! This might even inspire the Japanese people solemnly observing today the first anniversary of the dreadful Earthquake-Tsunami that killed nearly 19,000 in 2011.

1 comment:

He should have been awarded Khel Ratna long back but to the joy of millions of his supporters Dravid has been awarded rightfully the Padma Bhusan We are sad that we do not have any more true sportsman like Dravid in the present scenario.

Baby Falak, the bruised and brutalized 2-year-old girl, finally decided to say goodbye to this cruel world (India) and departed for a better world. The poor child died on her third cardiac arrest on Thursday (March 15, 2012) at the same Delhi hospital she was admitted to though she had been improving well over the past few days. Doctors attending for nearly two months were planning to discharge her soon, but they were not sure of her brain functioning.

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Amulya Kumar Chakravarty

Noted Writer-Translator-Administrator of Assam 1928-1991

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Trust Award

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty was a writer and a celebrated translator of world epics. He translated Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad and Virgil’s Aenid into Assamese. These books were published in the seventies and eighties in Assam, India; and even now are bestsellers going into multiple editions. Doubled with a flowing original language and strict authenticity these translated epics are hailed in Assam as trend setting translations.

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty had a hard life. Being a farmer’s son he went to the nearby town for studies and after graduation set off for Calcutta (now Kolkata) for post graduation in English. His ambition was to become a college teacher so that he could devote his life to education and writings. But due to economic hardships he had to come back half way and was forced to join Assam Civil Service of which he could not ever come out. He also contracted diabetes after forty years of age. Uprightness, honesty and efficiency ruling his career he always struggled for economic stability. He never had enough money and always took pride in telling that his only investments in life had been on his four children's education. Burning a lot of midnight oil, literally, and waging a constant war against mosquitoes he continued his writing activities and apart from the three translated epics he also wrote numerous short stories and a half completed novel. His exemplary honesty remains a source of inspiration for his admirers in today's environment of rampant corruption.

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty passed away in 1991. His family and local literary bodies in Guwahati formed a memorial Trust in 2002 and decided to institute an Award for excellent literary translations in Assamese on a biennial basis. The first Award consisting of cash prize and certificate was given in 2003 to one of the nominated books. This gave a tremendous boost to promote genuine translation works in Assam.

The Trust has announced the Award for 2011 to eminent author Dr. Prafulla Kataky for his outstanding contribution to Assamese literary translation work.

The Award was presented at an august function held on October 09, 2011 at Veterinary College Auditorium, Guwahati.

For 2013 the Sixth Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Translation Literature Award was presented to Author-Translator Bipul Deuri at a dignified ceremony held on 6th October, the 22nd Death Anniversary of Amulya Kumar Chakravarty, at Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati. The Award was handed over by Imran Shah, President of Assam Sahitya Sabha. A Painting Competition for Children was organized by Shrutinaad earlier on the day as a part of the event.

The Seventh Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Translation Literature Award has been presented to Dhrubajyoti Borthakur for Assamese translation of Hermann Hesse's book 'Siddhartha'. The award was ceremonially handed over by the President of Assam Sahitya Sabha, Dr Dhrubajyoti Bora on 4th October, 2015 at Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati

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RAGINI CHAKRAVARTY

Music and More>>>

Ragini Chakravarty is a Hindustani Classical Vocalist of the famed Kirana gharana and a disciple of Padmabhushan Dr. Prabha Atre. Ragini has been performing all over India with her classical recitals, light compositions and sangeet se sangeet tak concerts. She can be consulted here for program details.Under the banner of Shrutinaad Ragini also conducts regular classes on vocal music.Ragini's second audio album 'Bhoyai Oi...Kahani Ahiba Ghuri' (O' My Beloved...When Are You Coming Back Home!) was released at Guwahati on 4th January by renowned writer-author Lakshminandan Bora. This album consists of ten immortal Assamese songs of poet-composer-author-freedom fighter Kamalananda Bhattacharyya. Beauty of words and melody make these numbers irresistible.

Contact: info.shrutinaad@gmail.com

Ragini's Album 'Bhoyai Oi...'

'My Grandfather's Songs'. Ragini's First Album of Immortal Songs of Kamalananda Bhattacharyya

Ram Kahiye!

Ram Kahiye!

Ragini at Jaipur, March 2, 2011

43rd Mahashivratri Bhavya Sangeet Samaroh, 2011.

Geet Se Sangeet Tak...A Musical Journey

Ragini performing at Karnataka Sangha, Mumbai, Jan 30, 2011

Tributes to Poet Composer Kamalananda Bhattachayya

It was on this day of 4th January, 1951 that the State of Assam lost a great son , a poet, composer, lyricist, playwright and freedom fighter, Kamalananda Bhattacharyya who had composed over 200 songs in Assamese apart from a vast array of other writings. We offer our tributes to this great personality whose treasure-house of pristine music continues to inspire us and all music lovers of Assam.